The Annual Careers Plan Worksheets

The Annual Careers Plan worksheets

Some or all of the following sheets may be useful when putting together the annual careers plan:

Sheet 1 / Development priorities
Sheet 2 / Summary of provision
Sheet 3 / Calendar of main activities and events
Sheet 4 / Agreements with providers
Sheet 5 / Allocation and deployment of resources
Sheet 6 / Framework for evaluation
Sheet 7 / Staff development
Sheet 8 / Roles and responsibilities
Sheet 9 / Leadership and management
Sheet 10 / Engagement with partners

Sheet 1 – Development priorities

Development prioritiesDate:
GOALS
(What your main goals are) / LED BY?
(Who will lead on each goal?) / RESOURCES
(What resources will you need?) / BY WHEN?
(When do you aim to achieve this goal?) / SUCCESS CRITERIA
(How will you know that you have been successful?)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Review

Notes on completion

Aim to have a manageable number of challenging but achievable goals
Consider the career development needs of your students as a starting point
Check the goals in the school development/improvement plan and consider how the annual plan can contribute towards achieving them
Scan the local, regional and national scene for inspiration about key issues to target.

Establishing priorities for the coming year is a process of deciding:

What we must or should do, e.g. meet statutory requirements, support the priorities in the school development plan
What we ought or would like to do and can afford, e.g. implement innovative approaches, meet the needs of particular groups.

NFER (2013) identified possible triggers for deciding priorities. They suggested that schools need to be looking at the way they are:

working with local partners to coordinate provision and inform young people and parents;
engaging with employers;
taking into account the views of young people and their parents;
supporting teachers to embed careers information into lessons and subjects;
providing careers education and guidance from year 7. Young people should be supported to learn about their strengths, weaknesses, and how to develop realistic careers aspirations and decision-making skills, as well as being provided with information about career pathways;
actively encouraging young people to consider all options at 14 and 16 so that they select the best options for their interest, motivation, learning style, ability and aspirations;
allocating resources to the provision of careers guidance;
providing all young people with face-to-face, impartial and independent guidance;
working towards quality awards nationally validated by the Quality in Careers Standard (QiCS);
utilising advisers trained and qualified in delivering careers education and guidance;
using online technology where possible for the collection, interactive analysis and reporting of careers data in order to reduce ‘bureaucracy’ and enable schools to carry out analysis instantly.

Various organisations including individual CEIAG Quality Awards have produced audit or health check tools. The NFER careers-engaged school audit and the Essex self-assessment audit can be downloaded from the Cegnet website. The eight QiCS validation criteria (see below) which relate to careers guidance in schools also provides a good framework.

Audit based on QiCS validation criteria
What works well? / What could we stop doing? / What else needs to be done?
1.1 / Providing effective leadership, management and promotion of CEIAG
1.2 / Ensuring appropriate initial staff training and continuing professional development (CPD) to secure the competence required of all staff involved in the learning provider’s CEIAG provision
1.3 / Providing a careers education and work-related learning curriculum, careers information and careers advice and guidance
1.4 / Securing independent and impartial careers advice and guidance for young people
1.5 / Working with external partners and agencies
1.6 / Involving and supporting families and carers
1.7 / Monitoring, reviewing, evaluating and developing provision
1.8 / Measuring the impact of provision (including evidence of learning outcomes and progression)

Sheet 2 - Summary of provision

Summary of provision
Target group / Careers and work-related education activities including financial capability, enterprise and employability / Careers information, advice and guidance
Year 7
Year 8
Year 9
Year 10
Year 11
Year 12
(one year)
Year 12
(two year)
Year 13
(two year)

Notes on completion

As well as showing the provision for each year group, it is important to show the specific provision for students with different needs (e.g. SEND, Gifted and Talented, Pupil Premium) or on particular courses (e.g. hair and beauty, engineering)
Curriculum-based activities could include lessons, tutor periods, assemblies, events, enrichment/extra-curricular activities
Careers IAG could include information-giving, one-to-one and small group help, tutoring, mentoring, coaching

Sheet 3 - Calendar of main activities and events

Calendar of main activities and events
Time of Year / KS3 / KS4 / P16
Ongoing
September
October
November
December
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August

Notes on completion

This sheet is also the data source for different calendars that you might need to create, e.g. to go on the school website or to be incorporated in student planners

Circulate a draft to relevant staff for comments and approval. This is essential to ensure that staff involved in resourcing and delivering the programme know what their roles are going to be.
Ongoing: List here activities that occur throughout the year, e.g. Weekly lunch-time drop-in sessions in the library
KS3, KS4, P16: List here activities for all students and for targeted groups such as recipients of the Pupil Premium, Gifted and Talented, alternative curriculum, etc.
Here is an aide-memoire for the range of student activities that could be included in a careers calendar:

Assembly presentations
Whole-school national awareness events, e.g. Apprenticeships Week, National Science and Engineering Week
Careers and skills fairs
Y6 and Y12 Induction Days
Work experience/shadowing
Enterprise days
Careers talks (e.g. outside speakers)
‘Mock’ interviews
Y8/9 options evenings including date for return of options forms
Y10/11 careers interviews
Post-16 options evenings
Brief details and timings of careers education modules for different groups

‘Taster’ courses
Open days (own and local)
Key deadlines and activities for HE applicants
UCAS information evening for parents
Results days
Careers assessments (e.g. interest and aptitude questionnaires)
Presentation of quality award for careers work
Information about competitions (e.g. Young Enterprise)
Alumni network meetings
University and industry visits

Sheet 4 - Agreements with providers

Agreements with providers
Name of provider / Contact information / Services to be provided / Financial agreement / Notes

Notes on completion

Use this sheet to record agreements with careers guidance providers, education-business link organisations, etc.
Contact information: record names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, etc.
Provide a summary of services to be provided, e.g. interview caseloads, groupwork, drop-in sessions, participation in parents’ evenings, targeted support for vulnerable students
Keep a record of financial costs and benefits to the school
Use the notes column as an aide-memoire, e.g. when contracts need to be reviewed, information about the status of the provider (e.g. adviser has joined the professional register of the CDI, DBS check has been made, professional indemnity insurance is in place)

Sheet 5 – Allocation and deployment of resources

Self-help information provision
Type of provision / Details
Careers resources area of library/learning resources centre
Careers pages on website/VLE
Digital media (texts, tweets, display screens)
Noticeboards and displays
Learning provision (in minutes per year of curriculum time)
Careers and work-related education activities (in minutes) / Of which involving direct contact with ‘inspirational employers and others’ / Notes
Y7
Y8
Y9
Y10
Y11
Y12
Y13
Independent guidance provision (in minutes per student per year, averaged out)
Year group / No. in year group / Minutes of basic provision for all students in year group (per student per year) / No. in year group to benefit from additional provision / Minutes of additional provision for identified students (per student per year) / No. in year group to benefit from extra additional provision / Minutes of intensive provision for identified students (per student per year)
Y7
Y8
Y9
Y10
Y11
Y12
Y13
In-school guidance provision (in minutes per student per year, averaged out)
Year group / No. in year group / Minutes of basic provision for all students in year group (per student per year) / No. in year group to benefit from additional provision / Minutes of additional provision for identified students (per student per year) / No. in year group to benefit from extra additional provision / Minutes of intensive provision for identified students (per student per year)
Y7
Y8
Y9
Y10
Y11
Y12
Y13
Staffing
Member of staff / Hours or days per week / Indicative costs
Budgeting: Spending on resources, supplies, services and activities
£ / Details / Review
Capital equipment (computer equipment, furniture, etc.)
Licences (software)
Printed information (directories, books, etc.)
Photocopying
Postage and stationery
Staff development
Quality Award registration fee
Work experience administration
Psychometric testing materials/services

Notes on completion

Self-help information provision

This refers to information provided by the school that students can choose to access
Change labels and add further rows as required
Under details include information about access, level of provision, cost.

Learning provision (in minutes per year of curriculum time)

Year groups are already shown on the chart. Additional rows may be needed for particular cohorts, e.g. Y10 alternative curriculum group
The allocation of learning time will vary from year to year depending on whether decisions and transitions have to be made
Use the notes column to explain the data, e.g. direct contact with employers and others could involve visits, visitors, work experience, mentoring
‘Careers and work-related education activitie’s refers to timetabled provision, e.g. stand-alone careers lessons, careers lessons within PSHE, careers days, careers and work-related education activities in subjects (including financial capability in Citizenship at KS3&4), immersive experiences (such as visits, work experience, volunteering)
‘Inspirational others’ could include parents of the school, other learning providers, careers advisers.

Independent guidance provision (in minutes per student per year, averaged out)

Basic provision refers to inputs for all students in the year group, e.g. assemblies taken by external careers advisers
Additional provision refers to the next level up of inputs that are for some but not all students, e.g. a one-to-one careers interview or a group discussion with an external adviser
Intensive provision refers to external careers adviser inputs for disadvantaged and vulnerable students such as those in receipt of Pupil Premium, students with special educational needs and disabilities

In-school guidance provision in timetabled time(in minutes per student per year, averaged out)

Basic provision refers to the same level of inputs for all students, e.g. year group assemblies made by staff, on-going support from tutors, 20-minute options interviews with a member of SLT
Additional provision refers to the next level up of inputs for some but not all students, e.g. one-to-one meetings with a learning mentor
Intensive provision refers to staff inputs for disadvantaged and vulnerable students such as those in receipt of Pupil Premium, students with special educational needs and disabilities

Staffing (allocation of hours/days per week with indicative costs)

It is useful to differentiate between the contact and non-contact time allocated to staff to carry out their roles
Indicative costs could include the award of points of responsibility for carrying out their roles
Use the school’s software for calculating salary and on costs to compare the cost of providing the service in-house or buying it in from an external provider.
Include staff with substantial involvement in careers work, e.g. senior leader with overall responsibility for careers, Head of Sixth, SENCO, the curriculum leader for careers education, the careers adviser, work experience and careers administrative staff, resources centre/library staff.

Budgeting: Spending on resources, supplies, services and activities

Add additional categories of expenditure as required
Use the review column to make notes that will assist with the following year’s budgeting process, e.g. assessment of value for money, identification of future priorities

Sheet 6 – Evaluation schedule

Evaluation schedule
Evaluation focus / Evaluation methods / When?
Review

Notes on completion

Evaluation focus refers to the purpose of the evaluation, e.g. Are the lunchtime drop-in sessions working?

Evaluation methods refer to the approaches/techniques that you are going to use, e.g. sampling survey questionnaire of students who have used the drop-in facility.
‘When?’ refers to the timing of the evaluation, e.g. arranging two sampling periods - one week before Autumn half term and a second week just before Spring half term
The evaluation schedule should be linked to other sections of the annual plan, e.g. to find out if your development goals have been achieved, to find out if you are making the best use of the resources for careers guidance.

Sheet 7 - Staff development

Staff development
Identified staff (individuals and groups) / Professional learning and development needs to be met / How those needs will be met / When?
Review

Notes on completion

The staff development section of the plan should be developed in consultation with the school’s INSET co-ordinator
Take into account any external requirements, e.g. the quality criteria of the CEIAG quality award, the requirement on those who have joined the CDI professional register to undertake 25 hours CPD per year
Under ‘identified staff’ include specialist careers staff with specific training needs as well as non-specialists who have particular needs, e.g. updates on developments in apprenticeships and HE for Y12 tutors
The ‘professional learning and development needs to be met’ should relate to other sections of the annual plan, e.g. development priorities
Needs can be met in creative ways, e.g. team teaching, action research, webinars, consortium/network breakfast meetings

Sheet 8 – Roles and responsibilities

Roles and responsibilities
Roles / Responsibilities
Governors and SLT
Senior leader with overall responsibility for careers provision
Head of Sixth
SENCO
Curriculum leader for careers education (careers co-ordinator)
Careers adviser
Careers information staff
Administrative and support staff
Teachers and teaching support staff
Pastoral and pastoral support staff

Notes on completion

Enter key duties and responsibilities on the sheet
Remember to identify who will be responsible for tracking the status of young people and submitting the data to the local authority. There are 3 main statutory data collections through the year: Intended Destinations (September - March final return to DfE in May); September Guarantee May - September (extension for report until end October); Activity Survey July - December (final return to DfE mid-January). This role also covers making the data available for review meetings in the school.

Sheet 9 - Leadership and management – schedule of meetings and tasks

Leadership and management
Autumn / Spring / Summer
Governors’ meetings
Careers lead team
Meetings with contractors
Other meetings
Tasks

Notes on completion

Report to governors’ committees on key issues and new developments, e.g. employability, enterprise, financial capability, STEM, disadvantaged and vulnerable students, Pupil Premium spending, equality
Identify planning and review topics in advance for each term, e.g.:
Autumn
Review of September Guarantee data before LA reports to DfE in October
Review of Activity Survey data before return to DfE in January
Review of Y11 options planning and intended destinations plus follow-up action as required
Planning of Y9 options process
Spring
Review of Destinations data before submitted to DfE in May
Summer
Review of Y9 options process plus follow-up action as required
Planning of Y11 options process
The tasks column can be used to record key administrative activities and dates, e.g.:
Deadlines for submitting student tracking data to Local Authority
Updating the careers pages on the school VLE and website
Schedule for student interviews

Sheet 10 – Engagement with partners

Engagement with partners
Type of engagement / With students / With parents/carers / With employers / With other learning providers / Review
Communications with partners to promote the school’s careers provision
Involving partners in design, delivery and evaluation of the school’s careers provision

Notes on completion

Add additional columns for other partners as required
Add additional rows for other types of engagement as required
Provide headline information about specific activities with each partner in each of the boxes
Use the review column to make notes about the effectiveness of different engagement activities

Anthony Barnes, David Andrews, Claire Nix, Kath Wright

May 2014